This web site supports Dr. Russell Sabella's work on educating children, parents, educators and other stake holders about the responsible use of technology. Included in these pages you will find helpful resources, lesson plans, links, and more.

Facebook has made headlines over the years, much more than just once or twice, for its “confusing, complex and shifting privacy policies and “bewildering tangle of options.” These sites will help you (not guarantee you) to stay private and secure.

ReclaimPrivacy.org

This website provides an independent and open tool for scanning your Facebook privacy settings. I took it for a test run and it is actually amazing (easy and effective).

http://www.reclaimprivacy.org/facebook

openbook

This one is a bit on the raunchy side although very effective for learning more about what others can see in public from your Facebook account.

http://youropenbook.org/

Street0.com

Similar to open book, this site helps you discover what is made available to the public in Facebook.

http://www.street0.com/

Leo Laporte Deletes His Facebook Account (Youtube)

Leo deletes his personal Facebook account live on This Week In Google (TWiG) on May 12, 2010. Co-hosts Gina Trapani and Jeff Jarvis and guest Doc Searls cheer him on.

Friday, May 21, 2010

A former Tunkhannock Area High School student is accusing school and Wyoming County law enforcement officials of violating her privacy rights by seizing and searching her cell phone and punishing her for storing nude and semi-nude photos of herself on the device.

The woman, who was a 17-year-old senior at the time, contends in a civil rights suit filed Thursday that the intimate photos were intended to be viewed "only by herself and, perhaps, her longtime boyfriend." She is seeking unspecified damages and the destruction of all electronic and hard copies of the photos.

The woman, now 19 and living in Hughesville, is identified only by her initials - N.N. - in the complaint filed in U.S. District Court by the Philadelphia law firm Cozen O'Connor and the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

eNews #118: "Good-Bye Bully Machine (Hardcover)Source: School Library JournalKindergarten-Grade 5--This book equates living with bullying to being around a scary machine that is 'loud and powerful, with spinning wheels and whirling blades. It's cold and mean and looks kind of dangerous.' The kid-friendly text explains that bullies are not always bad people and gives possible reasons for their actions. Different types of behavior are explained, including 'mean words,' 'cruel actions,' hurtful teasing, and picking on others in 'quiet or sneaky ways.' The authors provide tips for dealing with negative behaviors and encourage readers to take a stand against bullying and unplug the bully machine. Fox's enticing, edgy, collage artwork will draw readers in. Small photos of children interacting in social situations blend with cut-out words, machine parts and gears, and other images to send a strong visual message. 'Bully-Busting Activities' are appended.http://amzn.to/cJacHw"

Saturday, May 15, 2010

The following is a summary of available and comprehensive curriculumn or lesson plans for helping children with knowledge, skills, and attitudes about cyberbullying and technology safety. Resources where chosen if they included a set of coherent and comprehensive curriculumn. Additional resources that can be used to develop your own customized lesson plans can be found at http://www.guardingkids.com/ under Resources and Links. If I missed one, please contact me for consideration.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Parents Test: "How do you know if your child may be addicted to the Internet? Many parents at least ask their children how much time they're spending on the Internet. Trouble is, most kids are apt to lie, especially if they're already addicted. If the computer is in their room, you have no way of knowing the truth. The following test may help you determine if you are dealing with Internet addiction in your home. It will be helpful to only consider the time your child uses the Internet for non-academic related purposes when answering."

Thursday, May 6, 2010

The CyberBully Alert software is a tool for parents to equip their children with the ability to immediately communicate and document any threats or cyberbullying their children experience when online. This unique software is the result of expert opinions and research in the field of child development and internet safety. Experts agree that the best way to address cyberbullying and online threats is to immediately communicate the incident with an adult, as well as document what the threat is. CyberBully Alert is the only software which does this for parents and their children.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

– Keeping Kids Out of High Tech Trouble. This blog supports Dr. Russell Sabella's work on educating children, parents, educators and other stake holders about the responsible use of technology. Included in these pages you will find helpful resources, lesson plans, links, and more. Russ's most recent book and workshops are primary resources for meeting this mission.http://guardingkids.blogspot.com/

– SchoolCounselor.com eNewsletter. The SchoolCounselor.com e-Newsletter is an electronic publication designed to advance counselors' level of technological literacy, application, and integration. You will find practical solutions and answers to technology related problems, especially as they apply to your job as counselor.http://counselingtechnology.blogspot.com/

Monday, May 3, 2010

Under the umbrella of cyberbullying is another form of technological misuse, sexting—an ability that anyone, who owns a cell phone with a camera, can engage in if they choose.

The term “sexting” is wordplay on exactly what it entails, sending sexual images via text-messaging services from one person to another. The viral affect that sexting can so easily create poses a lot of concerns which are similar to the defamation that any instance of cyberbullying can have on one’s self-esteem or reputation. And just like cyberbullying, sexting is becoming more and more of a problem that parents, teachers, and even lawmakers are having a hard time remedying.

In this blog I want to lay out the important facts about sexting, as well as provide some advice so that parents know how to spot it and deal with it, or how to prevent it from happening altogether.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Anthony Orsini, the principal at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Ridgewood, sent out an e-mail Wednesday morning asking parents to help him get all of his students off social networks and keep careful track of their text messages.